If you had told me ten years ago that one of my most anticipated games of the year would be a Kingdom Hearts game, I’d say you were crazy. This world is full of many ridiculous things, but a collaboration between Squaresoft and Disney?! That was possibly the silliest thing I’d ever heard of. And my wife wanted it. After watching her play for a bit, I saw that the game had an intriguing story, and I quickly became immersed in the world of keyblades and Heartless. Like so many other people, I was amazed at the complexity of the story, and I have eagerly waited for each subsequent game to mete out a little bit more of the lore that gets expanded upon with each new game. Birth by Sleep takes us ten years before the original Kingdom Hearts, and it might just be the best game in the series yet. Continue reading ‘Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep – Staff Review’ »

Square Enix has launched a website listing their titles to be on display at E3 this year. Of particular note: Final Fantasy XIV, The Third Birthday, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, Kingdom Hearts: Recoded, Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light, Front Mission Evolved, Dungeon Siege 3, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Further details and further titles can found at the site, located here.

Via a recent press release, Square Enix announced that Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep will not be out this summer, as previously stated. Instead, the game will arrive in North America on September 7. There will also be a special GameStop exclusive bundle that includes a copy of the game, a Mystic Silver PSP-3000, a movie (to be announced, but it will not be related to Kingdom Hearts in any way), and a 4GB memory stick.

Square Enix has also revealed some of the celebrity voice actors for the game: Mark Hamill, Willa Holland (The O.C., Gossip Girl), Jesse McCartney (Roxas in Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days), James Woods, and Leonard Nimoy.

The game’s premise is the origins of the series’ hero and villain, Sora and Xehanort, and delves deep into the mysteries of Xehanort’s bleak past and forgotten memories as well as how Sora and Riku came to wield the Keyblade in the first place.

Like Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts: Re:Coded the main theme song for the game is “Simple and Clean”, performed by Utada Hikaru. This game is the sixth in the series to be released, but is set first chronologically. The overseas release includes a number of new features, including the Sticker Album, a new boss, new Keyblades, abilities, mini-game maps, and songs, and the addition of Critical Mode.[2] In September 2010, the Final Mix version was announced in Japan, which has the added features of the North American and European version, as well as some additional extras.

As an avid gamer do you find it hard to switch off the Playstation at the end of the night? Well it’s a common problem. Video games are one of the many reasons why America is becoming a sleepless society. But that doesn’t mean you should give up your gaming habit. In fact, believe it or not, playing your favorite video game can actually be beneficial for your brain. The only thing you need to be fight the lack of sleep is to visit www.ukmeds.co.uk/general-health/sleeping-tablets and start taking any of their tablets, there is no need to stop enjoying Kingdom Hearts.

Square Enix announced today that it will release Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep for PlayStation Portable this summer. According to the press release, the North American version of the game will include new features, such as an extra boss and additional multiplayer options.

Famitsu has reported additional Disney Worlds for Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. This time, we’ll see more of Neverland — specifically Peter Pan’s group of Lost Boys — and Captain Hook will return with another scheme. Neverland was featured in the first Kingdom Hearts game, but it was limited to the clock tower and Captain Hook’s ship. Birth By Sleep will also take players to Snow White’s world where they will meet the Seven Dwarfs and her wicked stepmother.

The game also introduces a new special attack called Shoot Lock. Players can hold down L1 and R1 to activate it, then move about with the D-pad and use the circle button to lock on to a target and unleash a special attack.

Famitsu also revealed that Birth By Sleep will include an ad-hoc multiplayer mode in an area called the Mirage Arena. Players can win all sorts of fancy items there and use them in the main game.

In a recent Famitsu interview, Tetsuya Nomura revealed a few more details about the upcoming Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Among other things, the game is to be chronologically the first in the Kingdom Hearts timeline, and the three main characters – Terra, Aqua, and Ventus – will each experience different events and encounters throughout the game. Additionally, Birth by Sleep will keep track of which commands and skills players seem to favor, and the character’s fighting style will adjust accordingly.

Nomura stated that Birth by Sleep is “not likely” to be released before Final Fantasy XIII.

A few tidbits of information have been released on the upcoming PSP and DS versions of Kingdom Hearts. Three keyblade apprentice characters by the names of Ventus, Terra and Aqua will each have independent scenarios in the PSP version, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, a prequel to Kingdom Hearts. The DS version, Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, a story following the character of Roxas during Sora’s slumber between Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 2, introduces Xion, the mysterious fourteenth member of Organization XIII and female keyblade wielder.